Hello! I am going to start my MBA at IE Business School in April 2012 (which means February 2012 with the pre-courses and spanish course). If you have been admitted, join our facebook group!
Search for IE-April 2012 intake on facebook, the group is closed so no one will be able to see that you have joined (if you are worried about employers etc.)
I´m an IE student with a fellowship at IE... I am working on this blog, and thought I would share the link. It´s focused on information for students and alumni from the Europe region, but it could have some useful insights for a more general audience as well: http://europeandcis.blogs.ie.edu/
Also, check out the blog that is specifically for IE´s International MBA program: http://news.imba.ie.edu/
I was recently admitted to the IE IMBA+ Nov 2012 Intake (English), and I wanted to share my profile and my application experience because it differs from what I have read.
I am 25 yr old/male/American. Graduated from Wake Forest University with Honors in Sociology. GPA 3.3. I took the GRE and got 1420/1600 and 5.5/6 on writing. I have since spent 1.5 years working in Healthcare and 1.5 years working as an English teacher. Needless to say my strengths lie in my undergraduate degree and my test scores and my weaknesses in my post-graduate "career" - low on experience in a hard-business setting.
I worked incredibly hard on the essays (which came out well I believe) and was granted an interview, which I did in person in Madrid. Contrary to what others have indicated, for me the interview was anything but easy or straightforward. About 30 minutes into the interview, I acknowledged my lack of hard business experience as a weakness but something I would make up for in other areas. The interviewer then proceeded to quiz me on all subjects business: comparing and contrasting management styles in different countries, basic structure and function of corporations, hard facts regarding business development in my country vs emerging countries, hard facts regarding the economic conditions in Spain including statistics on the borrowing costs and unemployment, abstract questions regarding philosophy of business across a number of subjects, etc. In short, for someone with admittedly little experience, the interview was challenging and incredibly stressful. That said, I think if you do incur an intentionally-stressful interview it isn't going to pleasant, but it can be a great window for you, but you should definitely be capable of discussing the above-mentioned topics in at least a cursory manner. I also think I scored some points by being up-to-date with basic economic conditions, as I was quizzed extensively in this area.
By way of clarifying, every forum posting I read about the interview indicated that it is incredibly basic and straightforward, so there is probably a good chance your interview will be different than mine. Obviously, I am sure I was challenged more because of my background, but I think anyone who feels their work experience is less than the average should prepare for a potentially challenging interview. In the end my interview lasted for about 70-75 minutes.
Good luck to everyone applying for the program. And if you are accepted, good luck bankrolling it (I am about to start the unpleasant experience of figuring all of that out.)
Thanks Michael for the great write-up. After identifying your weakness, I think the interviewer was checking how you react in a really stressful situation or when you are cornered. While not very typical, I have heard stories similar to you. And, I think the key is to remain calm and answer from what you know. Obviously, you did a great job. Congratulations!!
Could you tell us a bit about your campus experience, your interactions with faculty and other students and overall what was your gut feeling about being in the place among those people for a year.